Abstract:

Laura Reasoner Jones is pleased to take away a few new tricks from a tedious staff training session.

Jones, L.R. (2004). An old dog--some new tricks. Teacher Leaders Network diaries. Retrieved from the Teacher Leaders Network 11 Apr 2008. Link: http://www.teacherleaders.org/old_site/diaries04_05/LJ09_04_05.html 

Full Text:

An Old Dog — Some New Tricks

We had an excruciating two days of in-service training the first week of school, resulting in all of us squirming in our chairs at some of the ridiculous things we were asked to do, like singing greeting songs and repeating mantras: "The brain is a pattern-seeking organ." We also were told that we would have at least six more days of this trainer during the school year. I left there with a dread of the future and the feeling that these two days had been a complete waste of time.

However, six weeks into the business of home visits, I realize that maybe I did take some good things away after all. And that I need to be a little more open-minded.

The trainer's job was to teach us about the principles of the High/Scope education curriculum. Learning to make choices is one of the major points of this curriculum and I had always felt that I did this with children. Appropriate praise was another thing I felt I had always done well. But as much as I hate to admit it, I see that there is room for improvement in my work.

As a teacher who makes home visits, letting the child make choices is not something that seems easily done. We have 45-60 minutes of instructional time per week for most children, depending on their IEPs. During that time we must review previous work with the child and family, work on goals and objectives, introduce new skills, and teach the parent or caregiver how to carry out the new instruction. We tend to come in with a plan that we want to carry out.

I decided to try the choice thing in small steps. I always bring an imaginative toy of some kind, usually a Playmobil or Fisher-Price set that relates to the teaching theme. (Another no-no, but I'm not ready to give that up yet.) Rather than retain complete control over the hour, I now try to lay out the things we need to do, and let the child place them in the order she or he would like to do them, retaining for myself the requirement that we practice the articulation words at the beginning. This has led to some very interesting instructional hours.

A couple of weeks ago, I took out my Fisher-Price neighborhood set with the idea that we would talk about the community we all live in. Using this toy is a good way to get a handle on the family's knowledge of our town and its services without being nosy or direct, two things I am not good at. Indirect questioning is my style. So, I left the conversation open and found that my children used this toy in many creative ways. One little girl who gets special education services for fine motor skills and social anxiety placed all of the vehicles in the "parking lot" and moved all of the Little People into a small circle in the back of the neighborhood. When I asked her what was happening, she stated simply, "They're talking to each other." This was great! Last year this little girl never talked to her peers at preschool and now she pictures all the people in our town talking to each other!

Another little boy started to line the people up, a habit in children with Asperger's Syndrome that we try to circumvent. I quickly suggested that he set up a parade, with the idea that we could talk about the upcoming Homecoming Parade the following Saturday. This also turned out to be an inspiration. His choice of lining things up turned out to be a true teachable moment with lots of opportunities for vocabulary development and prediction. I look forward to returning this week and talking about the real parade and whether his pretend parade was better.

The High/Scope trainer's idea of appropriate praise specifically prohibited the use of the words "Good job." She says kids don't know what you mean and you need to be more specific, like "You did it! You tied your shoe!" Hmmm. I use "Good job" a lot. I was trained in task analysis with adults with severe handicaps, and I guess I have never forgotten that training. So, I went into the year thinking I could change this easily, but it has been a struggle. As we practice the articulation words, I find myself saying "Nice F" or "I really like the way you made that 'T' sound." It's a little awkward and the parents give me funny looks. "Good job" just fits my lips. But I am trying to do better. The trainer does make sense, I think.

I don't know why I think I can't learn anything from in-service training. I know I don't know it all. But I have been doing this job well for a long time and between that and having kids of my own, I do know a lot. According to a friend of mine in administration, the teachers I work with are known as a tough crowd to be in front of, and my thoughts about this High/Scope session reflect that. I really have to stop going into these trainings with the attitude of "Tell me something I don't know."

Our next session with this trainer is on November 1. Because of my experiences with the kids, I am going in with a better attitude and hope to be able not only to share what I have tried but to hear from others what they have been doing. But please, don't make me sing!

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